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N. Korean Defector Reportedly Leaving China For Philippines

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korea's top ideologue, sheltering in a South Korean diplomatic mission in Beijing, may leave China as early as Monday for the Philippines, state radio reported.

Korea Broadcasting System said Hwang Jang Yop was still in the Beijing consulate but South Korean Ambassador Chung Chong Wook had bade him farewell.

A Seoul Foreign Ministry spokesman declined to comment on the report. "We have decided not to talk about Hwang's whereabouts or the timing of his departure," he said.

Another ministry official said China and South Korea had agreed that Hwang, the most senior official to flee the impoverished North, would be sent to a third country before being allowed asylum in South Korea.

He said the Philippines was one of several "transit points" being considered.

The state radio report said Hwang, who defected Feb. 12, was expected to spend a month in Subic Bay before being brought to South Korea.